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From Near and Far 
A Book of True Stories 


By 

ANNA BOGENHOLM SLOANE 

II 


* Illustrated by 
Marie O’Hara 



BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY 
CHICAGO 
















Copyright, 1927 , by 
BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY 

All rights reserved 




Printed in the United States of America 


©Cl A1018106 





CONTENTS 


Bushy Tails 
Little Lambs . 

A Pet Without a Tail 
Rabbits 
Friendly Mice . 
Goldfish 

Kittens and Cats . 
Mr. Hedgehog 
A Baby Elephant . 
The Gay Canary . 
Puppies and Dogs 
The Curious Lizard 
The Cordon Bleu . 
Hard-Shelled Pets 
The Gentle Dove . 
Hens and Chickens 
The Playful Kid . .. 
The Green Tree Frog 
Little Love Birds . 


PAGE 

7 

13 

19 

24 

30 

35 

40 

46 

51 

57 

63 

69 

74 

79 

84 

89 

95 

101 

106 


3 
















Animal Pets 
from Near and Far 







Bushy Tails 

The squirrel is one of the most lively and 
graceful of all pet animals, but when one re¬ 
members the free life he enjoys in his woodland 
home, it seems hardly fair to imprison him in 
a cage. 


7 








ANIMAL PETS 


The best home of all for the squirrel is an 
unused room, made as much like his natural 
home as possible, with strong tree branches and 
a cozy little box, filled with dry moss or hay, 
for him to sleep in. Few people, however, can 
give up a whole room for the use of a pet 
squirrel, so most families would be obliged to 
keep them in cages if they kept them at all. 
The cages should be as large as possible. 

If you wish to keep a pet squirrel, it is best 
to take him when he is very tiny. As soon as 
the baby pet is old enough, he will enjoy him¬ 
self greatly if he is allowed to run freely about 
the room. Then, little by little, he may be 
allowed in the garden. He will soon return to 
his house or his cage when he thinks that feed¬ 
ing time is near. 

One animal lover who kept tame squirrels 
discovered that these pets have a sense of 
rhythm, because they would dance sometimes 
for ten minutes together in exact time. Their 


BUSHY TAILS 


9 


dancing seemed to be an attempt to amuse 
themselves, for they never did anything of the 
kind when they were let out of the cage. 

The ordinary red squirrel of the woodland is 
a charming little fellow, but his cousin, the 
gray squirrel, is more easily tamed and learns 
tricks more quickly than other relatives. 

These gray squirrels are to be found in great 
numbers. They are more than twice the size 
of the red squirrel and are perhaps the favorite 
pets in great cities. People may often be seen 
feeding them in the parks, and a very pretty 
sight it is to see these little, furry, half wild 
creatures running to accept nuts from the hands 
of strange givers. It is amusing to watch them 
suddenly dart up the trunk of a tree and then 
turn round and pause, head downward, quite 
still. 

Sweet and innocent though they may appear, 
both the red and gray squirrels have one bad 
trait. Who would suppose that these squir- 


10 


ANIMAL PETS 



rels would rob birds’ nests of the eggs, and even 
kill the young birds? Their mischief does not 
stop here, for sometimes they will even try to 
tear the nest to pieces. 

One is bound to say, however, that the 
squirrels, in their turn, have enemies. Wander¬ 
ing cats pounce upon their young without mercy. 

A pair of tame squirrels in a garden had a 
family of babies every year for five years, but 









BUSHY TAILS 


11 


none of the young ever escaped the attacks of 
prowling cats. On the other hand a cat has 
been known to rear baby squirrels as tenderly 
as if they were her own kittens. 

Every summer this couple hid horse-chest¬ 
nuts, the kernels of stone fruit, small potatoes, 
the bulbs of crocuses, and all sorts of treasures 
in different places. Then, when winter came, 
they would forget where they had put them. 
After a deep fall of snow, the luckless couple 
might be seen scampering about, looking into 
every hole and cranny to see whether that was 
the forgotten hiding-place. 

Most squirrels bury more nuts and acorns 
than they need. Those they cannot find often 
shoot up from the ground in warm weather 
and begin sprouting leaves. And soon other 
squirrels are climbing and chattering in trees 
that squirrels before them had planted. 

The baby squirrels, usually four or five in 
number, are born early in July. Their parents 


12 


ANIMAL PETS 


tend them with great care until spring, when 
the youngsters have to start out on their own 
account. 

There are gray squirrels born with black coats. 
There are fox squirrels in the South that al¬ 
ways have white noses and ears. But in the 
North fox squirrels never have white noses and 
ears. There are squirrels of a rusty color, a 
mixture of red and gray. Then there are flying 
squirrels and ground squirrels. 

But everybody loves the gray squirrel, with 
his handsome bushy tail, best of all. 


Little Lambs 


Young lambs to sell, young lambs to sell! 

If I had as much money as I could tell, 

I would not come here with lambs to sell. 
Dolly and Molly, Richard and Nell, 

Buy my young lambs and I will use you well. 

This is an old cry that used to be heard 
in the streets of large cities a hundred years 
ago. The lambs, however, were not those that 
one sees skipping in the meadows. They had 
white cotton wool for fleece, red paint on the 
cheeks, jet black spots for eyes, horns of twisted, 
shining tin, and round the neck a piece of pink 
tape for a collar. They were, in fact, toys. 

There is hardly any child who would not 
like to have a gentle, frolicsome lamb as a 
companion. But alas! Just as playful kittens 
grow to be serious minded cats, so, in time, 
do pet lambs become sheep. And before this 
happens they have to go away to live with their 
grown-up brothers and sisters. 

13 


14 


ANIMAL PETS 



When a lamb is taken as a pet, it is nearly 
always because he has lost his mother. Often 
the lambkin is born in wild and wintry weather, 
quite at the beginning of the year. Sometimes 







LITTLE LAMBS 


15 


it happens that he is taken out of a deep snow¬ 
drift, from under his mother’s dead body. 
Then he is fortunate indeed if the shepherd 
carries him to a farmhouse where friendly hands 
make a soft bed for him, before a bright fire, 
and feed him with warm milk. He will drink 
this milk from the spout of a teapot, or from a 
bottle, like a little human baby. Soon he is 
able to eat crushed oats, or bread and milk, 
almost anything, in fact. In three weeks’ time 
he can nibble grass. 

He is very helpless at first, poor lambkin, 
and as he is carried his long legs hang down as if 
they were too weak to support his body. Soon, 
however, he grows stronger, and the second day 
after he is born he will gambol and skip about 
as if he were the merriest creature under the sun. 

He is most loving and will follow a person 
from room to room, pressing more closely to 
his owner than even a dog would do. 

Most lambs are born white, but some are 


16 


ANIMAL PETS 


black and as they grow up they become white. 

Once a boy who had kept a pet lamb was 
driving with his father in a cart to market, 
when, having gone about a mile from home, 
he happened to look back. To his surprise 
he saw his lamb trotting after the cart, but 
almost tired out. Needless to say the lamb 
was taken up in the cart and went to market 
with his master, but not to be sold. 

Another time a man riding along a busy 
street on a bicycle turned round and saw his 
pet lamb, which had followed him from home, 
and had been running behind for some distance. 
This seems to be a favorite trick of pet lambs. 

In the Bible we read of a time of peace that is 
to come when the lion shall lie down with the 
lamb. It seems impossible that a lamb should 
be so near the king of beasts and escape harm, 
but there is a true story that shows that this 
has happened. 

A lion and a lioness were presented to a king 



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18 


ANIMAL PETS 


long ago. One day the king paid a visit to 
these noble creatures. He ordered a lamb to 
be put into the cage, as he wanted to see what 
would happen. 

A pet lamb, belonging to the little daughter 
of one of the keepers, was brought. The little 
lamb, knowing no fear, went close to the lioness, 
and to the lion, but they did it no harm. After 
a time the lamb was taken away alive and 
unhurt. 



A Pet Without a Tail 

It must be because it is clean and harmless 
that the guinea pig is in so much favor as a 
pet for children. Certainly it never attempts 
to bite those who handle it, although one can 
not help admitting that it is rather stupid. 

The coat of the native guinea pig is sleek and 
sometimes nicely colored, black, white or brown, 
19 
























20 


ANIMAL PETS 


and sometimes tortoise shell, a mixture of these 
three and in almost every family there is a 
white one with pink eyes. As is well known, 
the guinea pig has no tail, and he is about 
half the size of a rabbit. 

There usually are from two to eight guinea 
pigs to a family. 

Mrs. Guinea Pig is not a very affectionate 
parent. In fact, she will let her young ones 
be destroyed before her eyes without making 
the least effort to save them; and at times she 
has been known to devour them. Neither the 
baby guinea pig, its father nor its mother, seem 
to care in the least for the kind hands that feed 
and caress them. All that these creatures live 
for is to eat and sleep. 

And yet they have gentle manners, and it is 
a pleasant sight to see the guinea pigs followed 
by their young. They will all run round and 
round in a ring, as if trying to play some new 
delightful game. When they are pleased they 


A PET WITHOUT A TAIL 


21 


give a sudden sharp turn and an odd little 
squeak. 

Baby guinea pigs are not the helpless little 
creatures that one might expect, and this is 
quite as well, since they have not a very fond 
mother. They are born with their ears and 
eyes open, and they are covered with hair like 
a newly born hare; and quite unlike the rabbit, 
which is born blind and helpless. Young 
guinea pigs are able to run about when only 
a few hours old, and a day after their birth 
they are able to nibble corn. This is not so 
very wonderful when one considers that they 
possess a set of teeth when they are born. Then, 
when they are six weeks old, the mother knows 
that they are no longer babies, so they have 
to provide for themselves. 

The name guinea pig is not a very apt one, 
for these creatures are not pigs at all, but belong 
to the same family as rats and rabbits; nor do 
they come from Guinea. In their wild state 


22 


ANIMAL PETS 


they are found in South America, where they 
have the far better name of “restless cavy,” 
and they differ from the guinea pig in being 
all of one color, dusky, with speckled hairs. 

Guinea pigs have very sharp ears, and seem 
to be forever listening, listening. They become 











A PET WITHOUT A TAIL 


23 


greatly alarmed by any tinkling noise, like a 
button or coin dropped on a stone floor out¬ 
side their hutch. In their wild state, should 
they be disturbed, the leader will give a sort of 
purr or chuckle, as a warning note to the others. 
They will all remain still, but alert, for a few 
seconds, and then rush madly to their hiding- 
place, tumbling one over another in their haste. 

Guinea pigs should be fed twice a day. Their 
ordinary food is oats and they are fond of bran. 
Tea leaves are a great treat to them, but these 
should be given only now and then. Another 
luxury is bread dipped in milk or water. Green 
food is good for them, particularly dandelion 
leaves and plantains. In fact, the guinea pig 
will be feeding all day if left to himself, and it 
seems to matter little what the food is, for he 
gobbles everything with relish. For his size he 
will eat more than almost any other animal. 


Rabbits 


Every child who has kept a family of pet 
rabbits must have taken delight in watching 
their playful antics. They will run races with 
each other, and scuffle in corners, while their 
mother sits and looks on quietly, with an air 
of great wisdom. 

But although they so enjoy a frolic, two 
separate families should not be allowed to live 
together, nor should they both be let out for 
a run at the same time, for they are very apt to 
disagree. It is sad to think that soft little baby 
bunnies are so foolish as to quarrel and fight, 
but they will do so at times, and their mothers 
seem unable to teach them better manners. 
Indeed, the father rabbit is the worst of all. 
He has been known to fight with and even kill 
his own children. 

As pets, rabbits can be made very tame. They 
will become playful and affectionate. Some of 

24 


RABBITS 


25 



them have beautiful colors. The lop-eared rab¬ 
bit has long, silky ears, some much longer than 
others, but perhaps the most beautiful rabbit 
is one named the Angora, which has long, 
























26 


ANIMAL PETS 


silky hair, mostly pure white, but sometimes 
black, gray or fawn. The baby Angoras are 
quite pink when first born and remain so for 
a short time; but when they are seven or eight 
days old, their skin is covered with white down, 
soft and silky in appearance. At the end of 
two weeks they are nicely covered with wool, 
which thickens and grows for some weeks more, 
when the baby bunnies first shed their fur. 

All pet rabbits should have a comfortable 
and healthy hutch to live in, with a day room 
and a separate sleeping apartment. 

The food of pet rabbits is bran, wheat and 
other grains and certain vegetables. Parsley is 
much enjoyed by them. Some people think 
that these pets need no drink, but that is a 
mistake. Very little is needed, certainly, but 
in every hutch there should be a pan with a 
few spoonfuls of water. 

The mother rabbit makes a nice bed for the 
young ones if plenty of soft hay is given her. 


RABBITS 


27 


She bites this into small pieces and arranges it, 
and adds downy fur, pulled from her own body. 
She feeds her babies for about five weeks, and 
then they are able to nibble juicy grass blades 
and other green food. 

While Mrs. Bunny is feeding her young she 
should have for herself a good supply of green 
food, and now and then a warm mash of milk 
and barley meal. 

She keeps her babies in good order, and will 
drum them soundly with her foot, should they 
annoy her. 

The father rabbit can hold his own against 
almost any prowling puss, and one was seen 
to drive away a large cat by jumping across 
his back, kicking fiercely each time, and 
dragging out bunches of fur with his claws. 
Puss soon had enough of this treatment and 
made off in great haste. 

There is an interesting story of a baby rabbit. 
A man was one day going along a country 


28 


ANIMAL PETS 



road when he spied a wee bunny lying in the 
dust almost dead. It was so young that its 
eyes were not opened, it could not have been 
more than a day or two old. 

The kind-hearted man picked up the small 
creature and carried it home in his jacket pocket, 
quite expecting to find the baby bunny dead 
when he arrived. However, when some warm 






RABBITS 


29 


milk was given, the little stranger gave signs 
of life. Soon its eyes opened, and in a few days 
Bunny was able to drink milk from a teaspoon. 
Soon it was scratching one ear with a long hind 
foot. And that is always a sure sign that a 
rabbit is feeling better. Bunny became a great 
pet, and, if placed on the table, would run after 
the friend who had been feeding it. 


Friendly Mice 


Many brown mice are caught 
And are not much regretted; 

But mice of my kind are bought, 

And dearly loved and petted. 

Such a dainty, wee creature, is the while 
mousikin, that one would hardly believe her 
to be first cousin of the common household 
mouse, with her shabby coat of gray and 
timid, beadlike eyes, that are filled with terror 
at the sight of a stranger. 

Sometimes, no doubt, the baby pet mouse asks 
her mother why she is obliged to live in a cage. 
She thinks, no doubt, that it would be much 
nicer to be free and able to scamper here and 
there at her own sweet will. Then perhaps 
her mother tells her of the dangers that lurk 
outside, and of how even the delicious smell of 
toasted cheese may lead straight to a trap. 

All pet mice are not white, however. There 

30 


FRIENDLY MICE 


31 



are several kinds: black, fawn colored, black 
and white, black and brown, and brown. All 
of these are more scarce and therefore cost more 
money to buy than the white mouse. When 
one of the parents is a white mouse, and the 












32 


ANIMAL PETS 


other a common gray mouse, the baby mice 
will, no doubt, be mottled. 

The common mouse is easily tamed and it is 
a pleasure to watch its movements when kept 
in a cage. It will lap water like a cat or dog, 
and hold its food between its paws while eating, 
or clean its face with them, while its little black 
eyes shine with joy and excitement. 

Stories have been told of unhappy men in 
prison who have been able to coax a little mouse 
into their cells and then tame her, until she 
became a faithful friend and companion. One 
poor prisoner had a little pet mouse which he 
dearly loved. One day he was told that he 
was to be moved to another prison. The news 
made him sad, for he knew he would not be 
allowed to take his pet with him. However, 
the governor of the prison was a kind-hearted 
man and he promised the convict that the mouse 
would be taken great care of, and given back 
to him when the time came for him to leave 


FRIENDLY MICE 


33 


the prison. The parting was sad indeed. The 
prisoner wrapped his tiny friend in a small 
piece of flannel, kissed her, gave her a scrap of 
bread and cheese that he had saved, and bade 
her good-by. 

Pet mice are generally so gentle and friendly 
that they may be let loose to run about in the 
room. 

There are many kinds of cages, the best ones 
being made of wire with a little dark, sleeping 
compartment filled with hay, as well as a large 
space to run in. If scraps of waste paper be 
given to Mrs. Mouse, she will chew them up 
to make of them nice, soft bedding. The secret 
of keeping pet mice in health is to see that the 
cage is clean and dry always. 

Mrs. Mouse generally has a very large 
family. She will have from six to eight broods 
.in the course of a year, with three to eight 
young ones in each brood. Baby mice at first 
are quite naked and blind, but soon they can 


34 


ANIMAL PETS 


see and are covered with pretty, downy fur. 
Then they are the sweetest little things that 
anyone could imagine. 

Since Mrs. Mouse has sometimes the bad 
habit of eating her young ones, she would better 
be kept away from them until they are about 
two weeks old, when they will be able to look 
out for themselves, and may be taken from the 
mother if need be. 

No matter how fond and gentle our own 
pussy cat may be, it is not safe to leave a cage of 
pet mice within her reach. Of course the cage 
should always be kept in a warm, dry place. 

Pet mice may be fed on bread soaked in milk, 
squeezed almost dry. Oats, peas, and beans 
are good for them, but though mice are fond 
of these, they should not be given too many. 
Some fruit and vegetables should be given each 
day, and a small branch of a tree left in the 
cage for them to gnaw. Meat and cheese should 
never be given. 


Goldfish 


When we are seen in a small glass sphere, 

It seems our chosen or native spot, 

And you may half believe that there 
We must be happy—but we are not. 

It is to us a crystal jail 

Which rubs against our head and tail. 

They are almost like the princesses of a fairy 
tale, these glittering creatures in their dress of 
golden and orange-red. They are so silent, so 
graceful, they have such wondering eyes. Per¬ 
haps they are thinking of those far-off countries 
from which their grandparents came, the 
countries of China and Japan. There goldfish 
may still be found in the wild state, swimming 
freely in the fresh, warm water of lakes and 
streams, and there they still give delight to the 
hearts of the children of those flowery lands. 

They are not quite so golden there. Indeed, 
they are olive green and yellow, blackish and 
brownish in the natural state. It is only in 

35 


36 


ANIMAL PETS 


captivity that they become bright golden or 
silver. Baby goldfish, too, are darker than their 
parents. 

It was two hundred years ago that baby 
goldfish were first brought to Europe. Then 
they were looked upon as most rare and precious 
creatures. Today they are, perhaps, too com¬ 
mon; for sometimes they are kept in small glass 
globes, where they soon die. 

They should be placed in an aquarium, or 
better still in a pond, heated with warm water 
through pipes. In such places the goldfish 
thrives and lives happily, and has large families 
of baby goldfish. 

Although the goldfish is generally only a few 
inches long, yet he will grow to be a foot in 
length, and very fat, if kept in a large tank for 
years. Goldfish live to a great age if well treated. 

When an aquarium is used it should be 
roomy, with sand and pebbles at the bottom. 
It should stand in a light place, but never in 


GOLDFISH 


37 



full sunlight, and the water used should be 
from a river, if possible, or soft water. To fill a 
bowl or tank with fresh water from the faucet 
every day is surely to kill the poor goldfish. A 
little water only should be added to that in 










38 


ANIMAL PETS 


the aquarium. The water need not be emptied 
away, unless some one has been giving bread 
crumbs or biscuit to the fish. As these make 
the water impure, they should never be given. 

Dried ants’ eggs daily and a little vermicelli 
two or three times a week make the best food, 
and for a great treat a tiny strip of raw meat 
hung in the water by a thread. Water snails 
may be put into the aquarium, and a few sprays 
of water cress, which will live and grow, for the 
fish love to nibble at the leaves. 

Stale bread may be used in a very large tank 
such as one finds in greenhouses, if goldfish 
be kept there. 

Should a strange fish be put with the others, 
the goldfish will soon hunt it to death. 

There is a story about a goldfish which lived 
in a great fountain in a park. It was the duty 
of the gardener to remove the fish to clean the 
tank from time to time. In a short while this 
particular fish would rise to the top of the 


GOLDFISH 


39 


water and allow the gardener to handle him. 
Then he learned to answer the sound of a whistle, 
and to take worms from the hand of his friend. 
He seemed to enjoy being stroked like a cat 
or a dog, and he would wriggle right into the 
hand of the gardener. 

At last the man was allowed to take the fish 
home, and the creature lived at ease in a tank 
in his garden. He learned to swim over and 
above a stick, then to perform the same trick 
on his side, to swim backwards, and at last he 
managed to leap to the surface to greet his kind 
master. 


Kittens and Cats 


There is hardly a little boy or girl who has 
not at some time kept a kitten. Indeed, kittens 
are the most common of all pets, and there¬ 
fore, sad to say, a kitten is not always so well 
treated as one might wish. Pretty and amusing 
as pussy might be, she is not a mere toy, and 
no doubt her feelings are often hurt, as well 
as her soft body, when she is lifted up care¬ 
lessly and dropped with a thump to the floor. 

It is supposed that cats were first brought 
to the continent of Europe by merchants from 
Cyprus. Four thousand years ago Madame 
Pussy was looked upon as a most important 
creature. This was in the land of Egypt, where 
the cat was worshipped, where temples were 
built to her, and where, after death, her body 
was embalmed and buried with very great 
honors. 

In those days it was a dangerous thing to 

40 


KITTENS AND CATS 


41 


kill a cat, even by accident, for whoever did so 
was himself put to death. Should a cat die a 
natural death, every inmate of the house in 
which she had lived had to shave the eyebrows 
as a sign of mourning. Today in the great 
museums we may see the bodies of some of 
those highly respected cats, made into mum¬ 
mies, as were those of the kings of ancient 
Egypt. 

On the tomb of a certain King Hana, at 
Thebes, may be seen a carved stone figure of his 
favorite cat, Bouhaki, who in life wore earrings 
and sat at the feet of her owner. 

The mother cat is very fond of her kittens; 
but now and then, she loses patience and will 
give one or another of them a sound box on the 
ear with her paw. But she will risk her own life 
for their safety. 

A true story is told about a mother cat who 
was cut by a scythe and badly wounded. She 
crawled to her kitten, took it up in her mouth, 


42 


ANIMAL PETS 


carried it to her mistress, and then lay down 
and died. 

A curious story tells how two hens made their 
nest in a manger and laid a nestful of eggs. 
Soon thereafter the mother cat chose the same 
spot for her family of six kittens. The hens 
did not mind at all. In fact, they seemed to 
think it a pleasant arrangement, for they took 
the tiny kittens under their wings and cared 
for them most tenderly while the mother cat 
was away. 

When bread and milk were brought, the hens 
would break it up with their beaks and cluck 
as if the kittens were tiny chickens. 

“No prettier sight can be imagined,” said 
the owner in telling the tale, “than that of the 
six kittens jumping over the backs of their foster 
mothers, and playing with their feathers.” 

Once a mother cat was returning to her home 
and her kittens in the stable loft, when she 
found that the place had been on fire, and that 


KITTENS AND CATS 


43 



the firemen were even then playing with their 
hose on the smoking beams. 

The cat was seen to make her way across the 
puddles, and rush towards the fiery place. The 
people knew that she was running to rescue 






































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KITTENS AND CATS 


45 


her kittens. Once she was struck by a stream 
of water and hurled to a distance of some feet, 
but still she made her way onward. 

The crowd began to cheer the mother cat’s 
bravery. Soon she disappeared among the ruins 
and after a little while returned, carrying one 
tiny drenched form in her mouth. It was one 
of the young, very wet but still alive. 

After she had left this kitten in a safe nook 
she returned to fetch another. The third time 
she returned without any burden, but ran mew¬ 
ing to attend the two she had saved. The 
firemen had heard that there were five kittens, 
so they went to see why the cat had left three. 
They found these were already dead. 


Mr. Hedgehog 

He looks so fierce with his spines sticking 
out all round him that one can hardly believe 
that Mr. Hedgehog, or the Urchin, as he some¬ 
times is called, will make a pleasant or useful 
pet. However, if he is given an opportunity, 
he will show what he can do in the way of kill¬ 
ing cockroaches. In the garden, which is a 
better place for him than the kitchen, he will 
eat up worms and troublesome insects. 

Baby hedgehogs are usually bom in early 
spring. In a family there are from two to three 
young ones. These do not reach their full size 
until the following spring. Like kittens, 
these little creatures are born with eyes closed. 
At first the prickles or spines are quite soft 
and white, but they become harder as the hedge¬ 
hog grows older. He has a short tail, his upper 
jaw is longer than his lower, his snout is pro¬ 
jecting and flexible, and his claws are long but 

46 


MB. HEDGEHOG 


47 



weak. TTis spines are remarkably sharp and 
elastic. The moment the hedgehog is touched, 
or hears any such noise as the report of a gun, 
he rolls himself into a ball, by the help of strong 
muscles that are under his skin. 

Few enemies care to attack that spiky ball. 
Although cats and dogs will live in a friendly 
way with tame hedgehogs, yet a dog will often 






48 


ANIMAL PETS 


pull out Mistress Prickleback and her young 
and kill them and eat as many as he can. 
From such a fray a dog will return with his 
nose bleeding. The sharp prickles seem to en¬ 
rage him, and he will often tear Mr. or Mrs. 
Hedgehog to pieces to punish them. 

Unless he wishes to drown, a hedgehog must 
unroll himself in water. It is said that cun¬ 
ning Mr. Fox trundles the poor creature along 
to a stream, or into a puddle and, as soon as 
he unrolls, seizes him by the smooth underpart. 

The pet hedgehog is usually one that has been 
caught young, but the worst about these pets is 
that they have a way of disappearing. They 
will live happily with their master or mistress 
until, one summer night, they begin to long 
for the woodland and for the taste of juicy 
insects caught in the long and dewy grass, and 
then they disappear. 

In a certain garden on a warm summer day, 
a hedgehog was found in a famishing state. 


MR. HEDGEHOG 


49 


He was given a saucer of water, and after that 
he strayed into the dining room looking for 
more. Perhaps he was given too much, for he 
was found the next morning under some bushes, 
dead, with his nose on the edge of a saucer. 

Hedgehogs may mostly be seen on a warm, 
misty evening, or during a drizzling rain in 
summer. They appear as dark spots, walking 
hastily over the grass. They must often try 
to cross the dusty road, for their bodies are 
sometimes found there, crushed by the wheels 
of some wagon or automobile. 

The hedgehog prefers the night, and will not 
stir from his retreat in the daylight unless he, 
or his young, are very hungry. He is fond of 
the eggs of wild birds, and eats them in a clever 
way, holding the shell between his paws and 
biting off the top. Then he will put in his little 
tongue and lick out the contents without spilling 
a single drop. Another delicacy is the honey 
of the bumble bee. A hedgehog has been seen 


50 


ANIMAL PETS 


to dig out a nest and eagerly gobble the bees, 
honey and grubs. 

A pet hedgehog named Timothy was placed 
in a walled garden to help clear away slugs 
and other tiresome insects. He was often seen 
at dusk, strolling about calmly. When the 
weather became dry, and food was scarce, Tim¬ 
othy was fed on bread and milk, given from 
the kitchen window, which reached almost to 
the ground. He soon found that, when he was 
hungry, he had only to go and scratch at the 
window to be supplied with a meal. Then he 
would stroll off again to look for worms. 

But alas! One day a strange dog went into 
that garden, and seeing Timothy, sprang upon 
him, and hurt him so much that he died. 


A Baby Elephant 


A baby elephant, though not so small 
An infant as are many, 

Can skip, roll round and over like a ball, 

And play as well as any. 

A baby elephant is a dear, delightful creature, 
but for all that he could hardly be called a 
convenient pet. He is friendly and amusing 
when one sees him at the zoological gardens, 
stretching out his trunk eagerly for peanuts; 
but in any ordinary house his big body and 
his huge appetite would make him something 
of a difficulty. 

In his own home in the Indian jungle, he 
leads no doubt a happy life. His mother pro¬ 
tects him with her great strength, and he frolics 
and gambols with other young elephants, 
spreading out his ears, running and butting 
at the others^ He is a most forward baby, 
for as soon as he is born he will stand up and 

51 


52 


ANIMAL PETS 


wag his funny little tail and flourish his trunk. 
He is about three feet high when born, and 
weighs something under two hundred pounds. 
His trunk is one foot long, and his tail is the 
same. After two days he can run alone, and 
soon he can swim across a river if his mother 
supports him with her trunk. 

When the herd of wild elephants roams from 
place to place the mothers go in front with 
their babies. At the first approach of danger 
the young ones disappear, taking shelter be¬ 
neath the huge bodies of their mothers. The 
herd has to move from tract to tract because 
the grass, bamboo leaves and other green food 
in one spot is soon eaten up. 

Once a wild mother elephant was caught with 
her baby, and when the two were separated 
the little one sobbed and cried and shed tears. 
The poor captive mother was securely tied up, 
and the baby tried to strike those who led him 
away with his trunk. At this time he was only 


A BABY ELEPHANT 


53 



three feet high, and he was sold to someone 
who thought that he would make a nice pet. 

Soon this baby elephant became fond of the 
coachman who looked after him. He had a 
snug little house of his own near the stable, 
but he much preferred, like many a human 














54 


ANIMAL PETS 


child to prowl about the kitchen, where he was 
fed with fruit and other nice things. Some¬ 
times he was taken to the dining room and 
treated to ripe melons, sweets and cake. 

He had some delightful ways and when he 
saw his master in the grounds he would run up 
to him, slip his trunk in his arm, gently lead 
him toward the fruit trees, and wait to be fed. 

Then he would pick bunches of leaves and fan 
himself gently. He enjoyed nothing better than 
a bath in the pond, where he could stand in 
the water and drink and throw a cool shower 
on himself. 

He could pick flowers and open and untie 
packages. 

At last he began to be a nuisance. He would 
march into the dining room whenever he could 
and help himself to anything he fancied on the 
buffet or table. One day, in trying to get 
some oranges, he knocked down a quantity of 
valuable china and glass, which was broken. 


A BABY ELEPHANT 


55 


Then it was decided that the pet was growing 
altogether too big and clumsy to be allowed 
to run about at will. So he was sent off to work 
with grown-up elephants, and there he was lucky 
enough to find one very kind, who became like 
a mother to him. He seemed happy and con¬ 
tented in the new home. 

It is a most interesting sight to watch a baby 
elephant being dressed to carry a rajah or In¬ 
dian prince to some great state occasion. He 
must first be washed and for this he draws 
the water from a well, or lies down in a tank, 
while his driver climbs about his body and 
scrubs him with bricks. If he is in a frolic¬ 
some mood he rolls over and blows clouds of 
vapor from his trunk, and for this he must 
be scolded like a child. 

Then he has to have fine patterns painted 
on him, and a gilded howdah put on his back, 
and he is hung with gold and silver cloths be¬ 
decked with bells. The driver has to keep a 


56 


ANIMAL PETS 



watchful eye on him while he is being dressed, 
or he will throw dirt and leaves all over himself, 
and spoil the effects of his fine clothes. It is 
said that captive elephants ahyays become ill, 
miserable and dangerous. 















The Gay Canary 

Sing away, ay, sing away, 

Merry little bird, 

Always gayest of the gay. 

The gay canary with his brilliant coat and 
his delightful song is a favorite pet. It may be 
that many a child who loves this bird causes 
him pain and shortens his life through not 
knowing what is best for Master Dick. His 
cage should be oblong, not square or round, 
and he should have proper food and a bath 
every day. A bunch of flowering grass from 
the wayside is a great treat, and he likes ground¬ 
sel, lettuce, watercress and apple. All of these 
are good for him. Foliage with greenfly on it 
will give great delight. 

When Mrs. Canary is hatching her eggs, stale 
sponge cake may be given her, and hempseed, 
besides plenty of green food and fruit. 

Nothing can be more delightful to watch than 
57 


58 


ANIMAL PETS 


a pair of canaries in a pleasant, roomy cage, 
where the little mother may in due course make 
her soft nest and hatch her eggs, carefully 
watched over by her attentive mate. She will 
often have three or four broods in the year, 
laying from four to six pale blue eggs each time. 

Since these birds cannot fly about and gather 
material as they would in a wild state, a sort 
of nest should be hung in the cage, full of such 
soft stuff as fine hay, scraps of wool, cotton, 
feathers and moss. There should be two little 
boxes in the cage, for sometimes the canary 
will make another nest and bring up a second 
brood before the first is hatched. In such a 
case the father bird is left to finish bringing up 
the first family. 

A door loudly slammed, or any such violent 
noise, will often kill the young birds in the shell. 

The fledglings soon begin to sing. Sometimes 
the baby cocks will warble even before they 
leave the nest. 


THE GAY CANARY 


59 



Nothing could be more wonderful than the 
way the nestlings make their way out of the 
shell. The beak has a sharp, bony point, which 
afterward drops off, and this point first finds 
its way through the shell. Using his little feet, 
the bird keeps on gently turning until the whole 
top of the large end of the shell is cut off, very 













60 


ANIMAL PETS 


neatly, and there is a large enough space for 
the imprisoned chick to make his way out into 
the world. 

There is an appealing story of a baby canary 
whose brothers and sisters all died almost as 
soon as they were hatched, so that he was the 
only one left. Then, to her great surprise, his 
mistress saw that the parent birds had started 
to build a new nest on the top of the old one, 
covering over the helpless fledgling, who would 
thus have starved to death. This often hap¬ 
pens when only one of a brood is left alive. 
Perhaps the heartless parents think that it is 
not worth while to take a lot of trouble to 
bring up one puny child, and so they forget 
it in making the nest ready for the new family. 

The mistress rescued this tiny one, who seemed 
all head and fluff, for no feathers had begun 
to grow. As the baby bird needed warmth, 
it was wrapped it flannel and cotton-wool and 
then kept in a little cardboard box with a lid. 


THE GAY CANARY 


61 


It had to be fed every two hours with chopped 
eggs and bread crumbs. After a little it seemed 
to know the voice of its mistress, and as soon 
as she took the lid off the box, the yellow mouth 
gaped wide, and feeble little chirps told how 
eager the baby was for the food, of which it 
swallowed great mouthfuls. 

Dicky grew wonderfully. In a few days he 
was able to open his eyes and look about, and 
he could flutter his wings. A tiny row of golden 
yellow feathers in his tail began to appear, and 
all seemed well. But one morning he was feeble, 
and felt less warm than usual. He had wriggled 
out of his cotton-wool wrappings in the night 
and caught cold. His mistress took him to 
bed with her and cuddled him and warmed 
him. Soon he seemed better and brighter, but 
in spite of this, when evening came, the baby 
canary died. 

Another fledgling was rescued in the same 
way. She was the only one left out of four. 


62 


ANIMAL PETS 


She was kept in flannel by the fire, fed by hand, 
and brought up away from other birds. Her 
mistress was always talking to Minnie, as the 
canary was called, and she would perch on the 
finger of her mistress. In three months the 
bird surprised everybody by repeating some of 
the sounds she had heard her mistress use. 
After a time this wonderful canary could sing 
a few bars of a familiar song and could also 
whistle to the dog. 


Puppies and Dogs 

If one wants a pet who will be true and faith¬ 
ful beyond all living creatures, one who will be 
an intelligent companion, one whose love will 
grow stronger as the years pass, then a puppy 
is surely the pet to choose. 

There is nothing more beautiful than the un¬ 
selfish devotion of a dog and nothing else like 
it in the animal world. Even the merry little 
puppy, a plump bundle of fur, will lick his 
master’s or mistress’ hand, but naturally, it 
is not until he is full grown that he becomes 
the devoted friend of man. 

There are so many different kinds of dogs 
that it is hard to say which makes the best pet. 
Each kind seems to have its own special good 
qualities. 

It is difficult to believe that our trusty friend 
belongs to the same family as the cruel and 

treacherous wolf, but indeed they are first cous- 

63 


64 


ANIMAL PETS 


ins. “Hard times make rough manners,” the 
wolf may say to excuse himself. 

As a rule the baby puppy belongs to a family 
of from four to eight, but sometimes a mother 
dog has been known to have as many as twenty 
at a time. When the family is large the babies 
have to be fed with milk from an ordinary 
feeding bottle. They ought to stay with the 
mother for at least six weeks, and soft food 
must be given. While small they need many 
meals, even seven or eight a day, but when 
they are a year old, two meals a day will usually 
be enough. 

If the puppy is to be healthy, he must have 
large bones to gnaw. He will have a second set 
of teeth, like children, and sometimes the first 
set has to be pulled out, if the teeth will not 
drop of their own accord. Puppies love leather 
things, and often do a great deal of mischief 
by gnawing them. They will not disdain a 
handkerchief, if they can get one to chew. 


PUPPIES AND DOGS 


65 



Puppies are born blind and do not open their 
eyes until they are a week or ten days old. 
The mother is very particular about washing 
them, and keeping them clean. Dogs have very 
sensitive ears, and will often cry or howl if they 
hear a noise which they dislike, such as the 
music of a concertina or a mouth organ. 















66 


ANIMAL PETS 


A family of young puppies, living near a 
church, used to howl every morning when the 
church bells began to ring, and again in the 
evening, at the time of the evening song. As 
soon as the bells started they would raise their 
puppy voices in a doleful chant, and continue 
until they stopped. 

Some dogs know the time in a most curious 
way, and they seem to have a power of reason¬ 
ing, as this true story will show. 

A gentleman took his dog with him to his 
fishing place. On his way back he got out at 
a small station and his little Scottish terrier 
slipped out unnoticed and was left behind. 

No message came from the owner, and so 
a porter took care of the little dog, and gave 
him a home. Although the dog seemed com¬ 
fortable and happy, and very fond of the por¬ 
ter’s children, he never forgot his first master. 
Every day in summer and winter, in heat and 
cold, rain and snow, or blazing sunshine, the 


PUPPIES AND DOGS 


67 



faithful little terrier trotted down at the same 
time to the station, to meet the midday train, 
the same which had carried off his master. He 
became such a well known character that people 
knew the time of day by watching the little 
gray dog trot by daily. 










68 


ANIMAL PETS 


Fortunately his patience was rewarded. When 
the next spring came the master passed again 
through the station on the way to his fishing 
place. The terrier saw him and, with one yelp 
of joy, sprang in beside him, and the two were 
carried off together. 

Although the mother dog is very careful 
of her little ones, she sometimes becomes jealous 
of them when they have passed the baby stage. 
One terrier taught her son to hunt rabbits, 
but when she found that the puppy was able 
to outdistance her she was not at all pleased. 
Finding motherly caution of no avail, she hit 
upon the clever plan of holding him back by 
the tail when he had started a rabbit, much to 
the youngster’s disgust. 

But time flies fast in a dog’s life and soon the 
puppy is full grown and lives his own dog’s 
life, or as nearly so as we humans will let him. 


The Curious Lizard 


If, on some warm day when you ramble around 
Among moss and dead leaves, you should happen to 
see 

A quick, trembling thing dart and hide on the ground, 
And you search in the leaves, you might uncover me. 

Almost everywhere, in hot countries and in 
those where the climate is neither very hot nor 
very cold, are lizards found. Indeed, there are 
not less than seventeen hundred different species. 
Some of these are large, others small, some 
pretty and others ugly. But certainly, as a 
pet, one would not be disappointed in choosing 
either a green Jersey lizard or the small, green 
Carolina lizard. 

The Jersey lizard is quite beautiful, both in 
shape and color, which is a bright emerald green. 
The male often has a throat of wonderful sky- 
blue. When bought his size is generally about 

six inches, but if well cared for he will grow to 

69 


TO 


ANIMAL PETS 


about twice that length, and even longer. In 
buying lizards it is well not to buy two males, 
for they are much inclined to fight and bite 
great pieces off each other. 

One curious thing about the lizard is that, 
if handled much, the tail breaks off. Though 
this seems a terrible misfortune for the little 
reptile, yet it is not so bad after all, as the tail 
will grow again. Indeed, lizards have been known 
to lose a leg and grow another in its place. 
They do not seem to mind the loss of a limb 
at all, but scamper about as cheerfully as ever, 
even when the arm or leg is trailing by a thread 
of skin. 

Like the tree frog and the water tortoise, the 
lizard should be kept in a vivarium, and he 
will become so tame that he will take food from 
his owner’s fingers and allow himself to be 
handled without showing any signs of nerv¬ 
ousness. His food consists of flies, cockroaches, 
earwigs, in fact almost any sort of insect. 


THE CURIOUS LIZARD 


71 



Lizards are most amusing to watch, and have 
strange antics. A certain big Jersey lizard would 
go round his vivarium with slow, careful steps, 
and a twinkle in his eyes, and then, when he 
came to another of his kind, he would suddenly 
and wickedly bite that one in a tender spot. 
He was not backward, either, in seizing a choice 
morsel that a brother lizard was about to swal¬ 
low. One little lizard was seen steadily watching 
a big one devour a worm, until it had all but 
disappeared. Then, when the big lizard gave 
the last gulp of satisfaction the small brother 




72 


ANIMAL PETS 


snatched the tiny end of the same worm, pulled 
it out of the other’s throat and devoured it. 

The same small lizard snatched a moth out 
of a green tree frog’s mouth, whereupon the 
angry tree frog went to the lizard, and slapped 
the crown of his head, his cheeks and eyes, 
and then opened his mouth and made a fierce 
snap at the unblushing thief. 

Another lizard finding a tin full of red flannel 
on a shelf climbed up to this every day, for the 
sake of lying in the flannel instead of on a piece 
of turf which was provided for him. He was, 
indeed, an absurd object, with his head hanging 
over one side of the tin, and his tail on the other. 

The green Carolina lizard is rarely more than 
three inches long. “Snap” was the name given 
to one of these elegant little creatures, because 
of the brisk way he had of catching flies. He 
would walk up a wall, even a glass, and would 
hold on for hours, head downward, waiting for 
some stray insect. He was so lively that he 


THE CURIOUS LIZARD 


73 


had to be kept in a very large goldfish bowl, 
in the bottom of which moss was placed, and a 
small dish of water. Over the top a wire gauze 
cover was kept in order to prevent him from 
coming out. But Master Snap did not enjoy 
his snug little house. He liked better to be at 
liberty, darting about the furniture. 

Snap used to turn a brilliant emerald green 
when he went to sleep, and also when he basked 
in the sunshine. 

The eggs of the green lizard are covered with 
a hard, parchmentlike shell. They are deposited 
in the sand and hatch in the sun. 

The common lizard produces its young alive, 
but one named Jemima had three blackish, 
skinny looking eggs. These were put in the sun, 
and after a quarter of an hour three young 
lizards split the shell and walked out. The 
mother was so amazed that she bit off the tail 
of one of them to be sure that it really was 
her child. 


The Cordon Bleu 


It is sad to know that of the small orna¬ 
mental cage birds sent from warm countries, 
large numbers die, either on the journey or 
soon after their arrival. Often the cages in which 
they are kept are too small to enable them 
to take the exercise they need. Sometimes they 
are given the wrong sort of food, and again, 
the climate of our country is too harsh for 
them. But overcrowding in unsuitable cages 
is the cause of the greatest number of losses. 

In the finch family there are so many charm¬ 
ing little birds that it is hard to say that one 
is more lovely than another. No bird, how¬ 
ever, can possibly be prettier than the little 
cordon bleu, or crimson-eared waxbill, as it is 
also called. 

This small finch was first brought from the 
French colony of Senegambia in West Africa. 
It is a dainty creature, not more than half 

74 


THE CORDON BLEU 


75 



the size of the green finch. It has plumage 
of grayish-brown color, with a coral-red beak, 
a cr ims on patch on the ears of the male bird, 
and a beautiful band of turquoise blue across 
the chest, from which it gets its name. The 
Cordon Bleu (blue ribbon) is an order that used 
to be worn by French noblemen of the highest 





76 


ANIMAL PETS 


degree, but now the same title is playfully given 
to a very good cook. The blue ribbon is usually 
given as a first prize at fairs and other shows. 
So the term blue ribbon has come to mean 
a badge of honor. This little bird is neither 
a noble nor a cook, but deserves the blue band 
because of its beauty and its sweet nature. 

Many bird cousins belong to the same finch 
family, and they too, having coral-red ears, go 
by the name of waxbills, but not one is prettier 
than, or indeed so pretty as the cordon bleu. 

In its home in Africa it lives seven thousand 
feet above the sea, and is usually seen singly 
or in pairs, instead of in large flocks, like its 
relatives. It is quiet and peaceable, and will 
live happily in captivity with others of its own 
kind. 

Although this little finch will nest in a cage, 
yet it will be still happier and healthier if allowed 
to fly freely in a bird room, and will live much 
longer. Here the female will build her nest 


THE CORDON BLEU 


77 


high up, generally near the ceiling. The little 
husband bird will bring to her the materials, 
and the wife will weave them together. In the 
cage or bird room, there should be a supply 
of hay, basting thread, scraps of soft paper, 
horsehair and cotton thread. The nest when 
finished is a round, flatfish bag, with an open¬ 
ing at one side, half hidden by overhanging 
stalks. On the outside the nest looks careless 
and untidy, but within it is soft and neatly 
arranged. From seven to nine days do this 
busy little couple spend in making the love- 
nook, and even when the nest is finished the 
male bird will still carry up stalks and feathers 
for his wife to put on the finishing touches. 

There are three to six eggs, pure white, which 
become opaque and milky as the mother sits 
on them. 

When the baby birds are hatched the parents 
require fresh, small ants’ cocoons for feeding 
them. If these are very hard to get, as they 


78 


ANIMAL PETS 


generally are, the birds should be tempted to 
use the soaked ants’ cocoons with egg and soaked 
seeds. The parent birds themselves live on seeds, 
such as canary, rape and millet. 

The baby birds have downy, blue-gray plum¬ 
age, and the beak wattles are blue-white. On 
the breast, sides, back and upper tail there is 
that soft blue that gives them their name, but 
this does not appear, nor the red ear spot, 
until after the fifth week. 

The little mother is very delicate and may 
die at a sudden change in temperature, or in¬ 
deed of any severe shock. One pair of cordons 
kept in a bird room seemed well and happy 
and likely to live long. Unfortunately a strange 
cat made its way in and sprang at the wire 
work, trying to catch the mother bird as she 
clung there. He did not get her, but she died 
of fright a few minutes later. 


Hard-Shelled Pets 


In choosing a tortoise for a pet one has to 
decide which will be the more interesting and 
easy to keep, a land tortoise, or one that lives 
in the water. There is no doubt as to which 
is the prettier of the two. All will agree that 
the water tortoise is by far the better looking. 
His color is a delightful, grayish green. He 
is a better walker on land, oddly enough, than 
the real land tortoise, and he can swim with 
considerable skill. He does indeed, often get 
lost because of his power of walking. Unlike 
the land tortoise, he has webbed feet, and his 
nails are much longer. 

One delightful pet water tortoise was brought 
straight from his native home in Honduras in 
the West Indies. He used to amuse himself 
in water poured into a bowl of rare old china. 
When he had enjoyed his bath sufficiently, he 

would exercise himself walking about the dining 
79 


80 


ANIMAL PETS 



table after the cloth had been removed. 

When this water tortoise was put into a bath 
in the middle of the vivarium, he would remain 
for hours with his nose just above the water 
for the sake of air. When he saw his master 
coming, he would scramble out and flatten his 
nose against the glass in expectation of the 













HARD-SHELLED PETS 


81 


worm that he knew would be given. He always 
took this dainty morsel by the middle, and 
would hold it for some seconds, with the two 
ends hanging out and squirming one on each 
side of his mouth. 

Water tortoises should be given animal food. 
They enjoy all sorts of worms, fish, frogs, in¬ 
sects and the like. In captivity they will eat 
raw meat and mice. 

The pet tortoise whose story is here related 
was particularly fond of cold mutton, and he 
would eat the leaves and stalks of buttercups. 
Once he did something that shocked his mis¬ 
tress. In the same vivarium there were some 
tiny tree frogs. Master Tortoise one day caught 
the legs of one of them with his teeth and held 
it. He would not let go until he was beaten 
about the head, and the poor tree frog was so 
badly hurt that she died. The tortoise was 
afterward discovered tearing the body of his 
victim to pieces and eating it. 


82 


ANIMAL PETS 


When another tortoise was put into the same 
vivarium, the two used to fight over choice 
morsels of food. Once they seized the same 
worm and then both turned and started off 
at the top of their speed for the other end of 
their abode, until they were stopped by finding 
their noses against the glass. 

They were active creatures and could make 
their way about the tank at a great rate. 

It is well that in any tank or vivarium there 
should be some water plants, as the water tor¬ 
toise is more at home under the shade of these 
than in the open. And again it is a great cruelty 
to oblige water tortoises always to sleep in the 
water. They should have a stone wall above 
the surface of the water, on which they can 
climb and bask, and nearby there should be 
a box or pan of sandy soil, in which they can 
bury their eggs. 

Land tortoises may often be seen by the dozen 
at bird fanciers, half starved and miserable, 


HARD-SHELLED PETS 


83 


crawling one over another in a dejected way. 
They are neither rare nor beautiful, but some 
people like them as pets. 

One which was bought was offered lettuce 
leaves, but he would not touch them. He drew 
in his mottled head as if offended at the sight 
of them. He refused snails and quite rightly, 
since they were not his natural food. He was 
put out on a sunny lawn, and next morning 
was seen pulling off dandelion leaves and blos¬ 
soms, and eating them daintily. Then it was 
found that he enjoyed plantain and sow thistle. 

Soon he became very tame, and hissed and 
made barking sounds when his little master 
fed him. He did not like being rubbed or lifted 
or carried about. When rain fell, he would run 
to shelter at his fullest speed and find a dry 
spot in which to take refuge. 


The Gentle Dove 


A low soft sound which is called a coo, 

Sometimes a little like laughter, too— 

It is my parents who talk that way. 

And so shall also I, some day, 

When I speak to the other hatched with me, 

Who is my mate now and ever will be. 

On a drowsy summer' afternoon when the 
very trees and flowers seem nodding with sleep, 
the monotonous coo of the dove is one of the 
most soothing of sounds. Of all pets she is 
the most gentle and appealing. Mr. and Mrs. 
Dove seem very tender and' attentive to each 
other, so much so, in fact, that one might think 
that they never have the slightest disagreement. 
If the truth must be told, however, they do, 
now and then, peck a little at each other. And 
certainly their children cannot be allowed to 
live with them, for, as soon as they are fully 
fledged their parents quarrel with them shock¬ 
ingly. Yet for all this, the dove is a charming pet. 

84 


THE GENTLE DOVE 


85 



The one so often seen in cages is, to give the 
right name, the colored turtle dove. She is 
often called the ringdove, from the dark mark 
of feathers that almost encircles her neck. But 
this name properly belongs to the wild pigeon, 
or wood dove, whose plaintive “coo, coo-coo, 
coo-coo” may be heard from March to October, 



86 


ANIMAL PETS 


as one walks by woody ravines and thickets. 

The pet dove came, in the first place, from 
warm, foreign countries, but it lives well and 
happily in large wicker cages in this country, 
sometimes reaching a good age. One was known 
to live twenty-six years, and it had great-grand¬ 
children by the score. This is by no means 
an uncommon age for a dove. 

The dove will often become so tame as to 
sit on the shoulder or head of her owner, and 
feed from the hand. She is happy if allowed 
to fly about a room, but it is hardly safe to 
allow her to be free in the garden, as she may 
stray away and be lost. The dove has not that 
wonderful power of finding her way home that 
belongs to the common pigeon. 

Her color is well known and always the same; 
a varnish cream or soft buff. She often has 
beautiful red eyes which look like jewels, and 
of course always a collar round her neck. 
Sometimes this bird is called the “laughing 


THE GENTLE DOVE 


87 


dove,” from the peculiar cooing sound the cock 
bird makes when addressing his mate. The 
length from head to tip of tail is about twelve 
inches, but the female bird is smaller than the 
male, although exactly like him in color. 

It is a pretty sight to see the husband dove 
hop forward to his wife, then stop, bow his 
head gracefully, swell out his crop, and give 
his peculiar love call. 

As a rule the dove has three broods a year, 
sometimes four. The eggs are two in number 
and white, but not quite so large as those of 
the pigeon. The mother sits on them fourteen 
or fifteen days. 

A story is told by a bird-loving boy about his 
pet dove. She lived alone and seemed to want 
to sit. So one day he asked, his mother to 
let him have a newly laid hen’s egg. He did 
not think that the dove would really hatch 
this egg, as so small a bird could hardly supply 
enough warmth. However, he put the egg in 


ANIMAL PETS 


her nest and after twenty-one days he found 
that she had hatched a healthy chick. The 
two seemed as devoted to each other as an 
ordinary mother bird and nestling. At last, 
when five weeks old, the chick was as large as 
her foster mother, and therefore unable to shelter 
under her wings. Instead she had to tuck her¬ 
self as close to the dove as possible. 

The baby doves are of rather a washy color, 
and the ring on the neck can hardly be seen. 
The feet are flesh-colored, whereas those of the 
older birds are of a delightful carmine, some¬ 
times coral red. Both the father and the 
mother feed the babies, who, as soon as they are 
fully fledged, should be moved to another cage. 

On the whole doves are easy birds to breed 
and keep. They should be fed on small corn, 
and an open box or basket given to them to 
nest in. 


Hens and Chickens 


We are thought very funny—I do not know why, 
For no little bird could be graver than I, 

As I go about picking up scraps from the ground 
Which you hardly would see, and would never have 
found; 

And even if shown them, their use you would ques¬ 
tion— 

But that is a mistake, for they suit my digestion. 

“Cluck, cluck, cluck!” Where could there be 
a more anxious, careful mother than the good, 
farmyard hen? How housewifely she is, as she 
scratches with her foot, making her pretty brood 
of downy chicks run with great haste to see 
what she has found. How brave she is, as 
she gathers her little ones under her wings, 
facing any danger, even a ferocious dog, for 
their sakes! 

The mother hen will, with the same care, 
look after a brood of young ducks. A far 
stranger sight is that of a dog acting as mother 

89 


90 


ANIMAL PETS 



to a brood of chicks; but that has, indeed, 
been seen. 

A farmer once noticed that a sitting hen he 
had was in the habit of leaving her eggs for a 
long while at a time. Being afraid that the 












HENS AND CHICKENS 


91 


eggs would get cold and not hatch at all, he 
moved them to a warm spot near the furnace 
of a greenhouse. There they were discovered 
by an intelligent fox terrier, Princess, who im¬ 
mediately began to sit upon them while the 
mother was away. She was most careful, and 
did not break any, giving up her post reluc¬ 
tantly when the pleasure-loving hen returned to 
her duties. At last the little fluffy chickens 
were hatched, and Princess showed much joy. 
She was even more devoted to them than their 
own mother, and when she was taken away 
from them she wquld groan and growl in misery 
until allowed to go back. 

But as a rule, the hen will not neglect her 
eggs or the young. When she first finds them 
stirring in the shell, she croons a tender song 
never heard at any other time. 

A hen, finding a large rat approaching her 
chicks, fought it courageously and at last man¬ 
aged to kill it. Even then she went on at- 


92 


ANIMAL PETS 


tacking the dead body, and ended by flinging 
it against the wall, using all her remaining 
strength for it. 

Little chicks are very fond of company. All 
day long they seem to need food, and at night 
they should be given a good supper. For the 
first day or two after they are hatched, they 
need hard-boiled eggs mixed with their food, 
and then boiled rice. No grain larger than 
hemp seed should be given them, unless ground 
or crushed. Baby chicks should always have 
a patch of grass. 

A little girl had a pet chick given to her 
which soon became so tame that it would run 
from one to another at table, eating a crumb 
of bread here and a bit of potato there. In 
time Dot, for that was the chicken’s name, 
became a nuisance, as she was caught taking 
little nibbles at the butter and even putting 
her feet in the gravy and then of course she 
was no longer allowed about the table. 


HENS AND CHICKENS 


93 



A curious friendship grew up between Dot 
and a pet kitten and they were always together. 
Dot would rather be with this playmate than 
with the other chickens in the poultry yard. 
In fact, she would never stay with them if she 
could help it. 











94 


ANIMAL PETS 


Soon she began to tease for a nest, and a 
nice little home was made for her in the yard. 
In time she was the proud mother of ten chick¬ 
ens. One night she was heard clucking at the 
window and pecking at the pane in a very 
disturbed manner. 

When the mistress went out to see what was 
the matter, she discovered that the door to the 
little house had blown shut, and Dot and her 
family were unable to get in. When the door 
was opened, clever Dot stalked in with much 
satisfaction, followed by her fluffy little brood. 


The Playful Kid 

There is, perhaps, no more playful creature 
than a kid, and nothing can be more delightful 
than to watch his gambols. And yet he is 
not a pet that every one would wish to keep. 
If he would always remain a kid, then, per¬ 
haps, all would be well; but he quickly becomes 
a goat, and of all creatures the goat is the 
most mischievous. Goats will destroy young 
trees, shrubs and bushes. It has been said that 
some of the countries bordering on the Medi¬ 
terranean Sea, where herds of goats used to 
roam in the wild state, are bare of forests be¬ 
cause of the damage done by these animals. 

But an innocent little kid should not be 
blamed for the misdeeds done by his great- 
grandparents, especially when they lived in a 
wild state, and had to support themselves as 
well as they were able. 

The goat came in the first place from the 
95 


96 


ANIMAL PETS 



East, and is by nature a dweller in mountain 
regions. The tame goat, whose kid is often 
a beloved pet, is smaller and has much less 
powerful horns. 

The Angora goat has long, white, silky hair, 
which makes the most valuable and comfort¬ 
able clothing. The Cashmere goat also has 













THE PLAYFUL KID 


97 


long hair, white, grayish and brown, and this 
is woven into beautiful shawls. 

All goats are wonderful climbers and run very 
swiftly, but in captivity these gifts are not 
needed. Goats are mostly intelligent. One tame 
goat, for instance, learned to ring the doorbell 
of his master’s house when he was hungry and 
wanted his dinner. There is another story also 
of two mountain goats who met face to face on 
a narrow, rocky ledge, overhanging a precipice, 
where there was no room to pass. The in¬ 
telligent animals did the only thing that could 
be done. One lay down on the ledge and the 
other stepped gently over the body of his fellow, 
without harming him and then both were able 
to go their way in safety. 

There are usually from one to four kids to 
a family, though rarely as many as four. 
The baby kid is able to stand on his slender 
legs soon after he is born. On the second day 
the kids may be seen playing with each other, 


98 


ANIMAL PETS 


and will give great pleasure by their joyous 
ways and affectionate nature. In three days 
they may be allowed to run out on the grass. 
Kids should never be tied up all day, but now 
and then they may be tethered, or led by a cord 
so that they may become used to restraint. 

Sometimes a kid is taken away from his 
mother and brought up by hand. He is then 
generally fed with cow’s milk, as pet lambs 
may be, which he takes from an ordinary infant 
feeding bottle. He may be taught to drink 
out of a bucket, by dipping a finger in milk, 
then putting it into the mouth of the kid and 
bending his head down until his lips touch the 
milk. Then he will soon begin to help himself. 
When three weeks old he will be able to nibble 
grass and soon he may eat mashes and dif¬ 
ferent kinds of meal. 

If a kid is at liberty he will, if he can, make 
his way straight to a garden and, once there, 
do much mischief. 



;> 















100 


ANIMAL PETS 


These creatures have strange appetites and 
seem to prefer poor food which they get by 
stealth, to the nicest possible fare that comes in 
the proper way. One goat refused the best of corn 
and a few minutes afterwards was seen to eat 
a dirty, old straw hat. They like horse-chest¬ 
nuts very much. Waste paper, bacon rinds, 
tree bark, almost anything that a goat can 
steal, he will eat. 

Often goats may be seen drawing small 
wagons. There is no cruelty in this, if the 
wagon be very light, and suited to the goat, 
and if the goat has been trained. A stick or 
strap should never be used during the training. 
Great pains must be taken to persuade the goat 
to comply with his master’s wishes. A reward 
should be given such as a piece of bread, when 
he does as he is told. One lesson a day is all 
that is needed and this should not take more 
than half an hour. 


The Green Tree Frog 

At first it seems an oddity 

That frogs like us should climb a tree; 

And yet is it any stranger 

Than that the seals should come ashore, 

Or fishes fly ten yards or more? 

Since he is exceedingly pretty and easily kept, 
and quite cheap, the green tree frog may take 
a high place on the list of pets. He may be 
bought for a few cents and, if housed in a fern 
case, he will be useful in keeping down insect 
pests. 

The green tree frog is less than two inches 
long, and has a very smooth skin, bright leaf- 
green above and like polished, whitish wax be¬ 
low. When resting on wood, or the bark of a 
tree, he often becomes drab or brown, to match 
his surroundings. Another strange creature, the 
chameleon, also has the power to change his 
tints in this manner. 

101 


102 


ANIMAL PETS 


The green hue comes from the mixture of 
yellow and blue coloring matter in the skin. 
Sometimes tree frogs are found with no yellow 
at all, and therefore these are of a sky-blue color. 

In the wild state the tree frog may be found 
all over America, Central and Southern Europe, 
and eastward, across Asia as far as Japan. Dur¬ 
ing the summer time he lives in trees, closely 
clinging to the leaves, which he matches so well 
that he can hardly be seen. He can hop and 
swim and at the tip of each toe he has a little 
sucker that enables him to climb with ease. 
By means of these suckers he can cling to a 
glass window. 

Although the top of his body is so smooth, 
the under part is rough because of a number 
of pores, by which he is able to draw in the 
rain and the dew from the leaves. Insects of 
all kinds form his natural food. In the winter 
he will sleep under stones, moss or bark until 
spring, when he makes his way to the water. 


THE GREEN TREE FROG 


103 



The eggs hatch into tadpoles, as in the case of 
the common frog, and these become frogs. 

Though he is so small, Mr. Frog can make a 
great noise. His loud croak has almost a 
musical note. He is able to perform in this 
way because of a sac in his throat, which swells 
and becomes as large as his whole body. 










104 


ANIMAL PETS 


The larger the vivarium in which the tree 
frog is kept the happier he will be. The best 
place for him is a greenhouse where there is 
a water tank. But the windows must be kept 
covered with perforated zinc, or he will make 
his way out. He should be provided with hid¬ 
ing places, in corkbark or small hollow logs. 
Here he will sleep in winter, coming out in 
warm, bright weather to take cockroaches, meal¬ 
worms, and any other dainties that his owner 
may provide. 

One pet tree frog managed to escape from his 
vivarium and made his way for nearly half a 
mile across a wooded field, until he found a 
convenient pond. This, however, was not nearly 
so pleasant as he had fancied and soon he be¬ 
gan to feel lonely. When evening came he began 
a loud croaking. This went on for weeks and 
crowds of people collected, wondering what the 
strange creature could be. At last a boy caught 
him in a net bag on a stick, popped him into 


THE GREEN TREE PROG 


105 


a bottle and carried him home to his rightful 
owner. 

Master Tree Frog seemed glad to be put back 
into his own little fern house and that evening 
he made such a joyous noise that the neighbors 
called in to see what was the matter. This 
particular tree frog must have been very proud 
of his voice, for if he heard people talking he 
would instantly start a load croaking on his 
own account. 


Little Love Birds 


If you have not yet seen us, at some time you will, 
Perched close up together with bill against bill; 

And, on hearing our quaint little noises, like kisses, 
You will say, “There are few prettier pictures than 
this is.” 

What living creature could have a nicer name 
than “love bird”? It brings at once a vision 
of gentle, feathered beings, in dresses of beau¬ 
tiful green, sitting side by side and tenderly 
kissing each other. The proper name is par- 
rakeet, but it is pleasanter to call them just 
love birds. 

The member of this family that makes the 
best pet is the budgerigar, or grass parrakeet, 
a delightful little creature no bigger than a 
sparrow. He may often be seen in the streets, 
poor mite, earning pennies for his mistress by 
“telling fortunes.” He cannot be very happy 
in that state of life, since his quills are gener¬ 
ic^ 


LITTLE LOVE BIRDS 


107 



ally plucked out to prevent his flying away. 

In a large aviary, however, he will be con¬ 
tented and there dreams of freedom never seem 
to enter his mind. 
























108 


ANIMAL PETS 


Next to the canary and the collared dove, 
the grass parrakeet is the bird most often found 
in aviaries, and there, if well looked after, he 
and his wife will bring up one family after 
another. 

A cocoanut shell should be provided for the 
nest, but some birds seem to prefer a hollow 
log of wood. If the nest is not to her liking, 
the mother will lay her eggs on the floor of the 
cage. The eggs are white, from three to nine in 
number, and take sixteen to twenty days to 
hatch. 

Millet and canary seed are the proper feed 
for the grass parrakeet, but oats and soaked 
bread should be added when there are babies 
to be fed. Seeding grass, roots and all may 
be given, and chickweed and groundsel. 

The young grass parrakeets have odd looking 
grayish bodies which become green when the 
feathers are fully grown. One would imagine 
that they would be eager to leave their hard 


LITTLE LOVE BIRDS 


109 


nest, for often the eggs are laid on nothing 
softer than a few chips of wood. However, 
they remain there five weeks at least. 

Where several grass parrakeets are kept, 
there may be among them an unmated female 
and she is generally spiteful and will destroy 
the eggs of her happier companions. The un¬ 
mated male birds are more amiable, and will 
often help in feeding young birds. The father 
generally guards the entrance to the nest most 
jealously. 

In spite of their name, all little love birds 
are not exactly angels, or they have a trick 
of fighting and biting the feet of their enemies. 

A gentleman once thought that he would try 
to raise families of these birds in an open park. 
He set free some dozen couples, but, after a few 
broods had been fledged, all the birds, young 
and old, went away and were never seen again. 

Another and larger parrakeet, the Madagas¬ 
car, is also called the love bird. His full name 


110 


ANIMAL PETS 


is the “gray-headed love bird from Madagas¬ 
car.” This bird too, has gained its title from 
the habit of mates sitting side by side, when 
in cages, and pecking at each other’s beaks 
as if kissing. These birds have a shrill cry 
which sounds like “karaoka,” and because of 
that they are also called by that name by the 
natives of their own country. The male bird 
has head, neck and breast of a pearly gray 
color, and the rest of his plumage is green. 
The female bird is entirely green. 








































































































































































































































































































































